By Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
The Senate yesterday passed a resolution to probe the $5.79bn Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project (MHEPP) located in Taraba State.
The probe will look at steps taken since 1999 till date to execute the project.
It planned to deliver 3,050 megawatts of power to the National Grid.
The project had suffered hiccups seven years after the Federal Ministry of Power signed a full contract with a consortium of Chinese contractors comprising CGGC, SHC, and CGOC in 2017.
The federal lawmakers noted that the Mambilla plant could have gone a long way in addressing the power woes if it had been executed for use by Nigerians.
The Senate resolution followed a debate on a motion moved by Senator Manu Haruna (Taraba-Central) and supported by 28 others.
The Senate resolved to probe the circumstances surrounding the apparent failure of the plant to come on stream seven years after the signing of the full contract.
It also suggested the urgency for the administration of President Bola Tinubu to include the plant among its ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ legacy projects to ensure that it was delivered.
The Senate recalled that the Federal Executive Council under the administration of former President Muhammad Buhari approved the $5.78bn contract with an agreed Joint Venture (JV) funding structure of 85 per cent from the Chinese consortium (CGGC-45 per cent, SHC-35 per cent, and CGOC-20 per cent) and 15° from the Federal Government of Nigeria as counterpart funding for the entire project.
It had a 72-month completion timeline.
Apart from the 3050MW expected to be generated by the plant, it was planned to reposition the Ajaokuta Steel Complex with $1.7bn, making it a priority national project.
Haruna said, “The project has great benefits for local content in the area of human capital development, including the creation of over 55,000 jobs; and construction of resettlement homes for over 100,000 people.
“It has the capacity of hauling and supplying of over 2.7 million tons of steel; production and supply of over 76 million tons of quarry stone; and the opportunity for Ashaka and Benue cement plants to produce and supply cement.”
*Passes Police Pension Board, North Central Development Commission bills
Meanwhile, the Senate has passed into law the bill seeking the establishment of the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), sponsored by the senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro and the other senators from North Central Nigeria.
The bill was first sponsored in the 9th Senate by Senator Moro where it passed first and second Readings but could not get presidential assent before the expiration of the 9th Senate.
Moro had argued in his lead debate that the commission, when established would be saddled with the responsibility of receiving and managing funds from the federal government and donors for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration, and reconstruction of roads.
He also said it would reconstruct houses and business premises of victims of flood farmers/herders clashes, and communal clashes.
He also said the fund would be used for the construction of large format drainage systems, dredging of rivers Niger and Benue to control flood and incidental matters, as well as tackling the menace of poverty, illiteracy, and other related environmental or developmental challenges facing North Central Nigeria.
Similarly, the age-long wish of the Nigeria Police Force to have an exclusive Pension Board like the military outfits, got a boost yesterday in the Senate with the passage of a bill to that effect for second reading.
The passage of the bill, titled: “Police Pension Board (Establishment) Bill, by the Senate for second reading, was sequel to the lead debate presented on it by the sponsor, Senator Binos Dauda Yaroe (PDP Adamawa South), and exhaustive debate on it by many senators.
Yaroe in his lead debate said men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force, are disadvantaged by being lumped with other public agencies under the contributory pension scheme, managed by the Pension Commission (PENCOM).
He said the practice was unlike what other frontline security agencies like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) were currently enjoying.
Yaroe said a cursory look at the difference between the pension and gratuity benefits of the Nigeria Police and its counterpart in the military, shows that the benefit of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) under the current pension scheme is N2.5m, while the equivalents of DSP in the Army (Captain), Navy (Lieutenant), Air Force (Flight Lieutenant) and DSS (Captain) are paid N12.8m.
This according to him, means that the Nigeria Police Force is receiving the equivalent of 19.5 per cent pension benefit of their colleagues in the sister agencies.
“The broad objective of this bill is to bring equality, equity, and justice in the payment of pensions between the Police and her sister agencies while boasting the morale of the serving personnel and equally to enhance the standard of living of retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.
“The inclusion and continuous stay of the NPF in PENCOM, has placed them on the wrong end of post-service emolument life despite being saddled with the responsibility of not only protecting the lives and property of the citizenry but also detecting, preventing, and investigating crimes as well as prosecuting offences,” he said.
*Laments Nigeria’s exclusion from $110bn global bitumen market
The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals has lamented the exclusion of Nigeria from the $110bn bitumen global market.
The panel declared this at a public hearing on a bill seeking the establishment of the Bitumen Development Commission.
The event was organised by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals chaired by Senator Samson Ekong (PDP Akwa Ibom South).
This is because the various stakeholders in the solid minerals sector threw their weight behind the establishment of the proposed agency.
The bill is titled, “Need for Nigeria to tap into the $110bn global bitumen market.”
The sponsor of the bill, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC Ekiti South), lamented that Nigeria which has the highest deposit of bitumen after Canada and Venezuela, had not tapped into the $110billion global bitumen market due to a lack of required galvanization.
He lamented that the $110bn bitumen global market was currently being controlled by nine countries in the world, some of which have less quantities of Natural resources when compared to Nigeria.
He specifically stated that Ondo State has the highest deposit of bitumen in Africa with an estimated value of $42bn.
He said, “Earnings from bitumen deposits in Nigeria if properly harnessed, can finance Nigeria’s budget.”
He added that the global in-place bitumen and heavy oil resources are estimated to be 5.9 trillion barrels (937 billion m3); more than 80 percent of these resources are found in Canada, the US, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
The global bitumen market according to him, is valued at $107.12bn in 2023 and is projected to reach $146.58bn by 2030 which presently has the United States, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, Columbia and Mexico as key players.
“The Bitumen Development Commission of Nigeria will lead innovation and improved strategy of finance resource. A good case of the impressive alternative revenue for Nigeria,” he stressed.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ekong said Nigeria needed a legal inroad to develop her mineral industry to expand her earning power contribute greatly to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and provide ample job opportunities
He commended the sponsor of the bill for his passion for the development of the solid mineral sector and for bringing to the limelight the vast deposits of bitumen in Ondo State and other states like Edo, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, and Lagos states.
